By the Best Definition, The Poverty Rate Should Be Tripled

The World Bank defines poverty as “pronounced deprivation in well-being,” not only of material needs but also of health and education and security and public voice and the “opportunity to better one’s life” and the “capability of the individual to function in society.” Surveys of tens of thousands of people throughout the world found that “the poor did not focus on their material need; rather, they alluded to social and psychological aspects of poverty.” The United Nations calls poverty the “denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity.” It’s not just a lack of money, but also the “lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society.”